Now we are busy planning for long-term maintenance and improvement contracts for services to all the green spaces included in the Management Plan, as well as district-wide services. If you have any ideas, thoughts or suggestions, please let us know!

And if you know of a green space in the city which is NOT already included in the GBD Management Plan, we are accepting applications for GBD maintenance funding.

Members of the GBD Board tour the District's green spaces on January 10, 2016

The GBD Interim board put into place all the pieces necessary for the new board to get off to a great start. After being approved by the Board of Supervisors in July 2015, the GBD is now a 501c3 nonprofit with a bank account (at Umpqua Bank) and an elected board. But there is a lot to be done to get things moving transparently and efficiently…

Following the Management Plan

The GBD Management Plan and the GBD-City agreement are two of the legal documents that guide the actions for the GBD. Eleven Open spaces were called out for maintenance. Additionally the GBD will supplement city services in providing graffiti removal, trash removal and tree maintenance.

Hiring Service Providers

The new board service committee is reviewing the eleven open spaces to determine the level of service needed and create a Scope of Work document. When this document is approved by the board, a Request for Proposals will be announced and service providers hired. The committee is looking for qualified providers and economy of scale.

Meeting with SF City Services

A priority for the board is making sure that the districts services supplement city services and do not replace them. The Services Committee is setting up meetings with SFRPD, SFMTA, and DPW to work out service cooperation for the district areas.

Assessment Dollars

2016 assessment dollars are available and will be disbursed by the SF Tax Collector to the GBD Umpqua Bank account where it will earn minimal interest until it is spent when service providers are hired and the maintenance work in the district begins. The Board is working hard to establish the budget for 2016 to put assessments to use as quickly and effectively as possible. We will publish the budget as soon as it is complete so that you can understand exactly how, where, and when your assessments are being spent.

On Monday, November 23rd, 2015, the GBD Interim Board certified the results of the GBD Board of Directors election. The list of new Board members is available here.

The winning candidates were selected by a modified weighting algorithm giving weight to property owners with the highest assessments but insuring that small property owners had a strong weighting also. The algorithm is discussed and described in the Interim Board minutes on the Meetings page.

Thank you to all candidates for all seats, and for the interim board members who are completing their GBD service.

Duties & Expectations of a GBD Board Member

The newly-formed Dogpatch & Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District needs Board Members who are willing to take on the rewarding work of starting a new nonprofit organization. This is not a paid position, but promises the satisfaction associated with improving the neighborhood. The Board is responsible for managing the District's annual assessment income according to the specifications outlined in the GBD Management Plan. The funds are to be used to:

Clean, maintain, enhance, and expand Public Realm areas in the Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill neighborhoods.

Promote a high-level of transparency and accountability in how GBD funds are spent.

Board Members are required to attend monthly Board Meetings as well as perform Committee work. Board Members should look forward to working together along with a part-time paid Executive Director and maintenance staff.

On Friday, July 31st 2015, the SF Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to establish the Dogpatch & Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District (DNWPH GBD)! Though only a simple majority (50%) of votes was required, over 76% of returning votes provided a resounding YES. This represents the fourth highest margin of victory ever in district formation elections of this kind in San Francisco. This is the first Green Benefit District in the nation!